The Enhanced Games announced the signing of five new swimmers, along with one track athlete and one weightlifter, on Monday as the organization continues to grow its athlete pool in the lead-up to its inaugural competition next May.
The Games signed six-time World Championship medalist Felipe Lima, 2024 Paris Olympians Evgenii Somov and Max McCusker, two-time Colombian Olympian Isabella Arcila, and Polish sprinter Natalia Fryckowska.
Lima and Somov are both breaststroke specialists, and the Enhanced Games will reportedly be adding breaststroke events after previously only having the 50 free, 100 free, 50 fly and 100 fly on its schedule.
View this post on Instagram
The most accomplished swimmer joining the Games is Lima, a standout Brazilian breaststroker who is now 40 years old (will be 41 by the 2026 Enhanced Games) and has not competed since December 2021 with Energy Standard in the International Swimming League (ISL).
Lima won bronze in the men’s 50 breast at the 2013 and 2019 LC World Championships, and he also owns four medals from the Short Course World Championships, including a pair of individual bronzes in the 50 breast from 2016 and 2018. His long course personal best in the 50 breast stands at 26.33, set in 2019 and ranking him tied for 6th all-time, while in the 100 breast, he’s been as fast as 59.17, done at the Tokyo Olympics where he finished 12th.
Somov and McCusker, both 26, are younger than most of the athletes we’ve seen join the Enhanced Games and are arguably still in the prime of their careers.
Somov, the former Russian Record holder in the 100 breast (58.72), was the lone Russian swimmer to compete as an individual neutral athlete at the Paris Olympics, placing 13th in the 100 breast. The former Louisville Cardinal owns a personal best of 27.44 in the 50 breast, set earlier this year, in addition to his 58.72 PB in the 100.
McCusker, an Irishman, was a relay-only swimmer at the Paris Olympics and currently owns the Irish Record in the men’s 50 fly (23.44) and 100 fly (51.90) in long course. He last competed at the 2024 Short Course World Championships nearly one year ago, where he finished 32nd in the men’s 50 fly.
The additions of Arcila and Fryckowska give the Enhanced Games three female swimmers on their roster, joining American Megan Romano, who committed in August.
Arcila, 31, is a two-time Colombian Olympian, having competed at the 2016 Games in Rio and the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. Now the first mother to commit to the Enhanced Games, Arcila hasn’t competed since the 2023 Pan American Games, where she placed 7th in the women’s 100 back and 11th in the 50 free.
She owns LC personal best times of 25.28 in the 50 free, 28.59 in the 50 back, 1:01.39 in the 100 back and 27.67 in the 50 fly.
Fryckowska, primarily a freestyle sprinter, has competed for both Arizona State and Duquesne in the NCAA and has some international experience representing Poland, most notably at the 2017 European SC Championships. She hasn’t raced since the 2024 CSCAA National Invitational Championship for Duquesne.
Her long course best times stand at 25.84 in the 50 free and 27.73 in the 50 fly.
With the five additions, the Enhanced Games now have 13 committed swimmers, 10 men and three women:
Men (10):
- Ben Proud
- James Magnussen
- Kristian Gkolomeev
- Andrii Govorov
- Josif Miladinov
- Marius Kusch
- Shane Ryan
- Felipe Lima
- Max McCusker
- Evgenii Somov
Women (3):
The Enhanced Games also announced the signing of Liberian track runner Emmanuel Matadi and Dominican weightlifter Beatriz Pirón on Monday.
Dan the Man speaks to the Irish Times about Max M’s signing:
https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/2025/12/09/for-me-its-not-swimming-daniel-wiffen-lashes-out-against-enhanced-games/
“For me it’s not swimming,” said Wiffen. “It’s just like a different organisation. Swimmers are doing it for the money, and you can understand why. There’s just not enough money in our sport.”
“But it doesn’t make sense to me morally that people would go out and dope just for a paycheck. You’re risking your health at the end of the day. It’s something I would never partake in, and I probably won’t even watch it.”
“I’m lucky enough to be Olympic champion, so I have the sponsorship backing, and I’m on the top funding of €40,000. But for the… Read more »
A little off topic but ISL just made a new post after more than two years of silence. What does it mean? The timing is interesting.
Enhanced games is the future
Said the grifter.
Titmus and Chalmers next
Murphy and Armstrong
Titmus, Chalmers and Armstrong have all said they wouldn’t join.
Since we’re throwing random names,
Dressell and Regan Smith next
There will only be freestyle and butterfly events but breaststrokers sign up. More like a circus meet to me.
From the article: “Lima and Somov are both breaststroke specialists, and the Enhanced Games will reportedly be adding breaststroke events after previously only having the 50 free, 100 free, 50 fly and 100 fly on its schedule.”
I’m a 57 year old D3 all American middle distance / distance swimmer.
Where do I sign up ? Seems I’ve got a shot.
😂
>middle distance / distance swimmer
Thank you for your interest. We have decided to pursue other candidates at this time.
No chance for distance swimmer as Brett Hawke is the head coach.
Pretty sure he will take whomever gives him pr, even if its distance. Yuri Prilukov and Sawrimowicz should come out and bang it out…
NO! NO NO!
I LIKED SOMOV NO!
To be fair the guy also doesn’t even have a home Country to swim for. Surely doesn’t get any help from back home and being a club coach isn’t a very lucrative gig
Somov has been coaching an age group team in Albany California – I wonder how the parents will react to this. I don’t blame the guy for getting a payday here but I’m not sure it’s best for the long term. I hope it works out for him…